The concept for this design is based upon the physical depiction of air meeting water – a droplet of water which creates a swirl as the air affects its surface. The whorl-shape created by this abstract notion has produced the forms of an Eagle, on the left side of the design, and a Killerwhale; it’s body elusively curving around the right side. Corrine has continued to play with the whirlpool concept by introducing echoing shapes and forms that reflect across the surface of the material and invite the viewer to explore the “water’s” surface.

“Hecate Strait is a wide but shallow strait between Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) and the mainland of British Columbia. Hecate Strait, because it is so shallow, is especially susceptible to violent storms and weather; therefore, has always been revered by the Northwest Coast First Nations Peoples.

The shallow waters make it an abundant place for marine life, especially for spotting Orcas and Humpback Whales breaching.

In this scarf design, I’ve illustrated the turbulent waters, abundance of Orcas, and Salmon.

Orcas are great guardians of the ocean, with Seals as slaves and Dolphins as warriors. Orcas are closely related to humans; I was told many legends as a child of the whale people and their villages beneath the sea.

Salmon are a symbol of abundance, wealth and prosperity because Salmon are the primary food source for the people of the Northwest Coast. It is also symbolic of dependability and renewal representing the provider of life. Salmon in pairs are good luck.”

This catalogue was published by Nisga’a Museum in conjunction with the exhibition Finding A Voice: The Art of Norman Tait held at Nisga’a Museum from May 30 to August 29, 2015 and at the West Vancouver Museum from October 14 to December 5, 2015.

Norman Tait (b. 1941) has been devoted to art since childhood. Imbued with a deep connection to his Nisga’a heritage and family, Tait has utilized his artistic gifts and transcended the quotidian to create the extraordinary. Self-taught, this self-critical and highly engaged artist has, over the past five decades, researched and explored his Nation’s rich cultural heritage and forged a voice for himself that speaks through his myriad of sculptural and two dimensional works. This voice is driven by a passion to reinvent traditional narratives within a contemporary context and provide ways in which to connect his ancestral heritage to today’s fast paced and changing world.

Authors:
Karen Duffek is the Curator of Contemporary Visual Arts & Pacific Northwest at the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA). Her research focus lies both in the history of Northwest Coast Aboriginal collectionsâ€•including connecting and documenting historical objects, particularly those made and used during the period of potlatch prohibition, with descendants and originating community membersâ€•and in the relationship of contemporary art to cultural practice. Among her many exhibitions are Projections: The Painted Art of Henry Speck, Udzi’stalis (co-curated with Marcia Crosby, 2012) and a collaboration with artist Peter Morin in Peter Morin’s Museum (2011), both at MOA’s Satellite Gallery; Border Zones: New Art across Cultures (MOA, 2010); Robert Davidson: The Abstract Edge (MOA, with tour to the National Gallery of Canada, 2044-2007); and with Tom Hill, the now historical Beyond History (Vancouver Art Gallery, 1989). Her publications include the webzine borderzones.ca (2010) and the books Bill Reid and Beyond: Expanding on Modern Native Art (co-edited with Charlotte Townsent-Gault, 2004), Robert Davidson: The Abstract Edge (2004), and the Transforming Image: Painted Arts of Northwest Coast First Nations (co-authored with Bill McLennan, 2000).

Vickie Jensen is a Vancouver-based photographer and author who began photographing Norman Tait’s work in the mid 1980s. She wrote her first book, Where the People Gather: Bringing a Log to Life, (reprinted in paperback as Totem Pole Carving), based on three months of intense collaboration as Tait and his crew carved a 42-foot doorway pole. “We talked, discussed the photos I was taking, shared the meals I cookedâ€•it was a transforming experience in my life. And getting to know Norman’s family was an unexpected bonus. “ Jensen also wrote about this pole in the children’s book Carving a Totem Pole and has featured Tait’s work in a third book, The Totem Poles of Stanley Park, expanded and re-titled in 2015 as Totem Poles and the Lure of Stanley Park. As of 2005 her extensive text and photo documentation of Norman Tait’s career is part of the Jensen-Powell Fonds housed in the Museum of Anthropology Archives.

Darrin Martens is currently the Chief Curator of the Audain Art Museum. Prior to this position he served as the Director of the Nisga’a Museum and Director/curator of Burnaby Art Gallery. Martens has a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of British Columbia with a focus on Critical Curatorial Studies. He is also a fellow of Claremont Graduate University’s J. Paul Getty Foundation’s Museum Leadership Institute. Prior to his studies at UBC he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Regina. Marten’s passion lies in exploring Canadian art history and in particular artists of First Nations heritage. He has curated over 50 exhibitions and contributed to over 30 publications.

Shirley Morven, whose Nisga’a name is Angaye’e, was born in Gitlaxt’aamiks, British Columbia. She is one of the members of the Gitwilnnaak’il’ Wolf clans from that ancient community. She is currently the Chairperson for Nisga’a Lisims Government’s Council of Elders and where she is one of the four national officers. She is also charged with the oversight of Collections and Exhibitions on the Nisga’a Museum Advisory Committee. She has served in several other capacities over her lifetime, always with a focus on formal and traditional Nisga’a practices. She has functioned as District Principal for Nisga’a Language and Culture for School District # 92. In addition she was chairperson for the Nisga’a Valley Health Board for 1 ½ terms just at the turn of the century, and on the New Aiyansh Band Council for two terms prior to the Nisga’a attaining their autonomy.

Susan Point’s unique artworks have been credited with almost single-handedly reviving the traditional Coast Salish art style. Once nearly lost to the effect of colonization, the crescents, wedges, and human and animal forms characteristic of traditional Coast Salish art can now been seen around the world – reinvigorated with modern materials and techniques – in her serigraphs and public art installations, as well as the works of a new generation of artists that she’s inspired.

While the images and symbolism of Point’s work are often informed by surviving traditional Salish works and the Traditional Knowledge of her Musqueam family and Elders, she has developed a unique and contemporary style that continues to evolve.

People Among People beautifully displays the breadth and depth of her public art, from cast bronze faces in Whistler to massive carved cedar portals in Stanley Park to moulded polymer murals in Seattle.

Through interviews and archival access, Robert D. Watt gathers the story of each piece, often in Point’s own words, to illustrate the vital role she has played in revealing the re-establishing the “Salish footprint” in the Pacific Northwest. An artist’s statement by Point and an essay by Dr. Michael Kew complete this portrait of a profoundly moving collection of artworks.

Over his lifetime, Bill Reid (1920 – 1998) created many historic sculptures, paintings jewellery pieces and serigraphs inspired by his Haida heritage. The large bronze sculpture The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, nicknamed The Jade Canoe and displayed at the Vancouver International Airport, and The Raven and the First Men, a yellow cedar carving, have both been featured on the Canadian $20 bill. In addition to the immense praise he received for his artwork, Reid was also the recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1994. This volume showcases more than 150 of Reid’s most significant works in beautiful photographs.

A gorgeous collection of prints by one of the Northwest’s leading artists

Over the past thirty years Susan Point has become the preeminent Coast Salish artist of her generation, exploring many different modern and traditional themes in a wide variety of media. She has received major public commissions in her home province of British Columbia as well as throughout the Northwest coast, the traditional territory of her people, creating extraordinary monumental sculptures that grace important public buildings. Her glass sculptures are collected around the world.

This is the first book devoted exclusively to her works on paper. Over the past thirty years Point has been an innovator in printmaking, adapting traditional Coast Salish themes to modern art techniques, translating the heritage of her culture to the wider world while creating a body of work that appeals to art collectors from around the globe. Her synthesis of contemporary and traditional styles has resulted in a formidable artistic accomplishment. This beautifully designed volume collects 160 of her prints together for the first time and is sure to inspire and amaze those who see it.

It is intended, as the name implies, to guide readers through the Cape Dorset art world, giving just a brief overview of each artist included. It is about the present situation in Cape Dorset and focuses deliberatly on showing the broad spectrum of age, gender, experience and type of art among these artists and the diversity of what is being made in Cape Dorset today.

Ten masterful, complex drawings by Bill reid are accompanied by ten episodes from Haida mythology told by Bill Reid and Robert Bringhurst. The result brings Haida art and mythology alive as never before.

Northwest Coast Kwakwaka’wakw art is renowned for its flamboyant, energetic, and colorful carving and painting. Among the best-known practitioners was Doug Cranmer, whose style was understated, elegant, fresh, and unique and whose work quickly found an international following in the 1960s. Named K’esu’, or Wealth Being Carved, as a child, he was an early player in the global, commercial art market and one of the first Native artists in British Columbia to own his own gallery. A long-time teacher, he inspired generations of young Native artists in Alert Bay and beyond.

This beautifully illustrated book is a record of the art, life, and influence of a man who called himself a “whittler” or “doodler” but who embodied “indigenous modern” well before the term had been coined. He pioneered abstract and non-figurative paintings using Northwest Coast ovoids and U-shapes; embraced the practice of silk-screening on wood, paper, and burlap; and adapted power tools to new applications in art. Skillfully weaving recollections from his friends and family, facts about his life and examples of his stunning artwork, K’esu’ is a wide-ranging celebration of Doug Cranmer and his profound influence on Kwakwaka’wakw art.

Germaine Arnaktauyok is one of the Canadian North’s most prolific and recognizable artists. In this book, she tells the story of her life in her own words: her “very traditional Inuk life” growing up in Nunavut at a camp near Igloolik, and her experiences later in a residential school in Chesterfield Inlet; her education as an artist in Winnipeg and Ottawa; and her return to the North, where she continues to create drawings, etchings, and illustrations that have been featured in museums and galleries worldwide.

She also provides commentary on several of her works, offering a seldom seen perspective on her inspiration and process. Featuring over one hundred full-colour reproductions of Germaine Arnaktauyok’s fascinating pieces from throughout her career, this beautiful book provides an in-depth look at one of the world’s most important artists.

Sanikiluaq, a small Inuit community in the Belcher Islands region of the Far North, has a long history of artistic output. But as the demand for stone carvings grew, grass basket sewing―once a traditional skill for Inuit women―faded from the community consciousness. That was until a group of women, including educator and artist Margaret Lawrence, came together to renew the lost art of basket sewing.

In Our Hands Remember: Recovering Sanikiluaq Basket Sewing, Lawrence guides readers through creating their own grass baskets in the unique style of the Sanikiluaq region with step-by-step instructions and photographs. From tips on preparing the grass and forming even coils to the different types of embellishments, this book is accessible to all skill levels.

Nanuq: Life with Polar Bears features gorgeous wildlife photography of polar bears alongside first-hand accounts of experiences of living alongside the great sea bear.

From close encounters with angry bears to the beauty of watching a polar bear climb an iceberg with its claws and traditional mythology surrounding life with polar bears, this book gives readers outside the Arctic a first-hand look at what life with polar bears is really like.

“Hecate Strait is a wide but shallow strait between Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) and the mainland of British Columbia. Hecate Strait, because it is so shallow, is especially susceptible to violent storms and weather; therefore, has always been revered by the Northwest Coast First Nations Peoples.

The shallow waters make it an abundant place for marine life, especially for spotting Orcas and Humpback Whales breaching.

In this scarf design, I’ve illustrated the turbulent waters, abundance of Orcas, and Salmon.

Orcas are great guardians of the ocean, with Seals as slaves and Dolphins as warriors. Orcas are closely related to humans; I was told many legends as a child of the whale people and their villages beneath the sea.

Salmon are a symbol of abundance, wealth and prosperity because Salmon are the primary food source for the people of the Northwest Coast. It is also symbolic of dependability and renewal representing the provider of life. Salmon in pairs are good luck.”

Part of Gwaai’s Regalia jewelry line, featuring handmade works that depict abstraction of the Haida form. The motifs impressed on each piece are borrowed from a dismantled a bentwood box design featuring variations of the Raven story. As an extension of this original concept, Gwaai has developed other themes such as reinterpreting Naxiin or Chilkat blanket weaving designs. After embossing on sterling silver or copper sheets, each specific design is carefully chosen for its aesthetic and narrative qualities. They are then shaped and polished by hand, ensuring no two pieces will ever be identical.

“The Beaver was my original clan but I was adopted into my father’s Eagle Clan because it was thought that it might become extinct; many Eagle Clan members died due to having no immunity to early European diseases.

The wild beaver seems to understand an old, but true, Haisla proverb: ‘If you work hard today, you will have plenty tomorrow.’ Or perhaps it was actually my ancestors who came to understand, emulate and respect the working habits of this industrious little animal enough to create the original Haisla Beaver Clan.”

Joe Wilson has created this limited-edition print series illustrating the traditional Coast Salish whorl in which both the male and female Killerwhale are represented in balance and harmony with one another.

The ‘Journey of Hope’ was designed specifically for the survivors of the tsunami in Japan in 2011 to pay tribute to their survival instincts as well as their future hopes and dreams.

The Killerwhale is an important crest symbol, associated with power, strength, dignity and communication.

The Killerwhale is thought to be the reincarnation of great chiefs so they are the majestic protectors of mankind. Many believed that those lost at sea were carried away by the Orca to their villages deep within the ocean and they would be guided to a new life and a new beginning.

Killerwhale Clans live in Killerwhale Villages deep within the ocean; when at home they remove their skins and live as large humans. Mating once for life and thought to be the reincarnation of great chiefs, these majestic animals are the protectors of mankind. While known to capsize canoes and carry the inhabitants to their Killerwhale Village, they are also reputed to act as guides to humans caught within storms.

“This series was designed as a portrayal of the universal elements in symbolic form, translated into Coast Salish design particular to the Coast Salish territory. Each piece was created specifically to represent the most common example of the element in Coast Salish lands.

Fire is depicted as the Sun, which shines on the land. Wate is depicted as the west coast icon, the Killerwhale. Air is depicted as the legendary creature, Thunderbird. Land is depicted in the pairing of the Eagle and the Salmon.

For the water element the most common and well-known creature of the sea in this territory is the witty Killerwhale, shown here with a smile and a blowhole, which sings the songs of the Killerwhale. The Killerwhale is much esteemed for its song and just the sight of it brings excitement and enthusiasm.” -Joe Wilson

Aldona Jonaitis is the Director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North, and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

An extensive overview of the First Nations art of the Northwest Coast with detailed illustrations and up-to-date maps. This single volume book covers the development of styles by region as well as the art’s meanings in the context of the region’s social history.

Every Household and every clan possessed its own history and traditions in the form of myths and legends. Often describing how an individual had met a supernatural being, in animal form, who had given ownership of certain privileges. These privileges are a highly important part of First Nations life and are retained by particular family groups through their laws of inheritance. Privileges gave an individual status in the community and were more highly valued than any material possession.

In reality there were rights, such as the right to use a figure on a house post, wear a mask or to perform a dance at a ceremony. Very typical of these legends was the tale of Natcitlaneh, who was abandoned on an island by his brothers-in-law, who were jealous of his prowess as a hunter. He was rescued by the sea lions and taken to their village in a cave, where in gratitude for his healing their Chief, gave him supernatural powers which enabled him to carve eight wooden Killerwhales. These came to life when they were placed in the sea and avenged him by killing his brothers-in-law. As a mark of respect, Natcitlaneh built a house and named it Killerwhale House. According to legend the ancestors visited the house, located at the bottom of the ocean and obtained the right to use the Killerwhale as a crest. The Killerwhale was said to have originated from a single great white wolf that leaped into the sea and transformed itself into a Killerwhale, or Orca. That is why they have the white markings on their sides, travel in packs and are such skilled hunters. The Orca is considered to be the ocean manifestation of the wolf and the two animals are considered to be directly related.

Another beautiful legend tells that long ago Orca was one color, black and she lived in the water like all fish. Then she fell in love with Osprey and he with her. The Orca wanted to know so badly what it felt like to fly so she leapt farther and farther out of the water to be close to her love and Osprey spent more and more time close to the water to be near his love. Love has a way of making itself shown and expressed, and when their child was born, she was black like Orca, but with a white belly and head like the Osprey. The Orca has a song so beautiful that all creation is said to stop and listen to the Orca and that to be splashed by the Orca is to ensure great luck and happiness.

Chaz’s beautifully sculptured glass Killerwhales pay tribute to First Nation culture, oral history and traditions. These are testament to an ideology in which we are all interconnected and part of the greater whole- each related and affecting the other.

This easily read book introduces the reader to various symbols, crests and beings depicted in Northwest Coast artworks. Shearer provides brief descriptions of design conventions, elements and differences between cultural groups while explaining the interconnections between art, myth and ceremony.

Some of the last copies of this book are available at our gallery as it is no longer being published.

Drew and Wilson outline the history of the Haida in relation to argillite carving.

In a key chapter, “A World Apart”, the reader is led through a tangle of Haida beliefs and legends seen through the artist’s mind as he sought to express the world around him.

The technical aspects of argillite – its nature, how it was quarried, the relationship of the carver to his material, clues to a carver’s identity through his carving style, the transformation of argillite art with the coming of the [Europeans], and its resurgence alongside contemporary art are detailed.

Argillite is study that will appeal to collectors, students of [First Nations] art and culture, and anyone interested in recapturing the formidable and legendary consciousness of this ancient people.

Specific and unique to the Northwest Coast People is the bentwood or bent-corner box or container. A most outstanding item of the First Nations people, it is a made from one single plank of wood through a lengthy steaming process – a method strictly adapted by the coastal peoples.

The Frog symbolizes luck, prosperity, stability and healing. As a communicator, Frogs connect with the world on land and under water.

Specific and unique to the Northwest Coast People is the bentwood or bent-corner box or container. A most outstanding item of the First Nations people, it is a made from one single plank of wood through a lengthy steaming process – a method strictly adapted by the coastal peoples.

The Frog symbolizes luck, prosperity, stability and healing. As a communicator, Frogs connect with the world on land and under water.

Specific and unique to the Northwest Coast People is the bentwood or bent-corner box or container. A most outstanding item of the First Nations people, it is a made from one single plank of wood through a lengthy steaming process – a method strictly adapted by the coastal peoples.

The intelligent Eagle symbolizes status, power, peace and friendship. The Eagle feather is considered a sacred part of many ceremonies and rituals.

Specific and unique to the Northwest Coast People is the bentwood or bent-corner box or container. A most outstanding item of the First Nations people, it is a made from one single plank of wood through a lengthy steaming process – a method strictly adapted by the coastal peoples.

The intelligent Eagle symbolizes status, power, peace and friendship. The Eagle feather is considered a sacred part of many ceremonies and rituals.

Specific and unique to the Northwest Coast People is the bentwood or bent-corner box or container. A most outstanding item of the First Nations people, it is a made from one single plank of wood through a lengthy steaming process – a method strictly adapted by the coastal peoples.

The powerful Raven symbolizes Creation, Heroism, and Transformation. Mythologically, the Raven is considered to be the figure responsible for releasing the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, therefore bringing light into the world.

Specific and unique to the Northwest Coast People is the bentwood or bent-corner box or container. A most outstanding item of the First Nations people, it is a made from one single plank of wood through a lengthy steaming process – a method strictly adapted by the coastal peoples.

The Eagle symbolizes status, power, peace and friendship, while the Killerwhale is associated with family, power, strength, dignity and communication.

The St’át’imc of the Interior Salish Nation were renowned for their basketry. Coiled baskets were crafted from peeled and split Red Cedar roots. These baskets were sewn so tightly that they could hold water, and with the addition of water to the absorbent material, the roots would expand and create an even stronger seal. Most Salish baskets were decorated in complex geometric designs and it is these motifs that Leach replicates on his ceramics.

As a member of the P’egpig’7lha (Frog) clan, Patrick often includes a frog pictograph on his ceramics. As a communicator, Frogs connect with the world on land and under water. Frogs represent good fortune, stability, and communication.

Patrick was raised in the community of T’ít’q’et, near Lillooet, BC in St’át’imc Nation Territory. The depiction of mountains is an homage to Lillooet and Leach’s upbringing. Leach often depicts dual mountains with birds flying above the peaks.

This beautiful, tiny bird is common to the Northwest Coast of Canada and believed to represent not only beauty and love, but it also brings good luck and spiritual healing to anyone who comes into contact with it. Hummingbirds are associated with love, beauty, intelligence, and healing. Patrick often portrays the hummingbird surrounded by a flowering tree.

The Fraser River flows up the valley near Lillooet and was a primary source of sustenance for the St’át’imc people, as several salmon runs ventured up the river annually. Leach frequently depicts the representation of the river, two parallel wavy lines, in conjunction with either the salmon or dip net pictographs.

The St’át’imc have some of the best salmon fishing and wind drying areas in the Fraser Canyon area . Salmon runs are frequent in the Fraser River, with spring salmon running in April and again in late summer as well as a string of sockeye salmon runs starting in June. Patrick emphasizes the importance of salmon to the St’át’imc people.

On Patrick Leach’s pottery, the final touches are carefully hand-carved landscapes, geometric designs, and scenes borrowed from ancient rock paintings called pictographs. These designs are either replicas of, or inspired by, the red ochre pictographs found in Stein Valley near Leach’s childhood home. Leach frequently employs contrasting bands of red ochre glaze to represent earth, blue for sky, yellow for sunrise or orange for sunset.

This pictograph is one directly borrowed from the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, near Lillooet. Several ancient pictographs dot the river valley and this one is particular is a direct replica of a pictograph found on the banks of the Stein River. The outstretched wings of the owl protectively cover the deer, perhaps meant to represent all fauna, flanking either side of it.

The St’át’imc of the Interior Salish Nation were renowned for their basketry. Coiled baskets were crafted from peeled and split Red Cedar roots. These baskets were sewn so tightly that they could hold water, and with the addition of water to the absorbent material, the roots would expand and create an even stronger seal. Most Salish baskets were decorated in complex geometric designs and it is these motifs that Leach replicates on his ceramics.

This pictograph is one directly borrowed from the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, near Lillooet. Several ancient pictographs dot the river valley and this one is particular is a direct replica of a pictograph found on the banks of the Stein River. The outstretched wings of the owl protectively cover the deer, perhaps meant to represent all fauna, flanking either side of it.

The St’át’imc of the Interior Salish Nation were renowned for their basketry. Coiled baskets were crafted from peeled and split Red Cedar roots. These baskets were sewn so tightly that they could hold water, and with the addition of water to the absorbent material, the roots would expand and create an even stronger seal. Most Salish baskets were decorated in complex geometric designs and it is these motifs that Leach replicates on his ceramics.

Patrick was raised in the community of T’ít’q’et, near Lillooet, BC in St’át’imc Nation Territory. The depiction of mountains is an homage to Lillooet and Leach’s upbringing. Leach often depicts dual mountains with birds flying above the peaks.

The bear paw, and likewise the bear itself, is meant represent strength and power. Bears were noted and revered for their human-like qualities such as the ability to stand on their hind legs and the fierce bond between mother and child or cub. This depiction shows the pad, knuckles, and claws of denoting a paw print.

The Fraser River flows up the valley near Lillooet and was a primary source of sustenance for the St’át’imc people, as several salmon runs ventured up the river annually. Leach frequently depicts the representation of the river, two parallel wavy lines, in conjunction with either the salmon or dip net pictographs.

The St’át’imc have some of the best salmon fishing and wind drying areas in the Fraser Canyon area . Salmon runs are frequent in the Fraser River, with spring salmon running in April and again in late summer as well as a string of sockeye salmon runs starting in June. Patrick emphasizes the importance of salmon to the St’át’imc people.

The St’át’imc of the Interior Salish Nation were renowned for their basketry. Coiled baskets were crafted from peeled and split Red Cedar roots. These baskets were sewn so tightly that they could hold water, and with the addition of water to the absorbent material, the roots would expand and create an even stronger seal. Most Salish baskets were decorated in complex geometric designs and it is these motifs that Leach replicates on his ceramics.

Eagle is often viewed as a symbol of leadership, peace, friendship, and intelligence. The pictograph depicts a linear eagle, with feathers adorning its outstretched wings and talons on both feet.

Patrick displays these symbols concurrently, and says that they are used to represent day and night. These depictions refer to the timelessness and endurance of both his art and the art of his Nation collectively.

The Fraser River flows up the valley near Lillooet and was a primary source of sustenance for the St’át’imc people, as several salmon runs ventured up the river annually. Leach frequently depicts the representation of the river, two parallel wavy lines, in conjunction with either the salmon or dip net pictographs.

The St’át’imc have some of the best salmon fishing and wind drying areas in the Fraser Canyon area . Salmon runs are frequent in the Fraser River, with spring salmon running in April and again in late summer as well as a string of sockeye salmon runs starting in June. Patrick emphasizes the importance of salmon to the St’át’imc people.

This pictograph of shows a man holding a dip net. Dip netting was on fishing technique used by the St’át’imc to catch considerable quantities of salmon in the Fraser River. The net is dipped into the river narrows, where the currents are strong, from either an outcropping of land or a wooden platform. The large net, attached to a pole in the water, is lowered into the river. Then the mouth of the net is closed and the fish inside are trapped. The net is then, laboriously, hauled out of the river.

Typically Leach includes the representations of the salmon and the river alongside the fisherman to depict a full scene.

This pictograph is one directly borrowed from the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, near Lillooet. Several ancient pictographs dot the river valley and this one is particular is a direct replica of a pictograph found on the banks of the Stein River. The outstretched wings of the owl protectively cover the deer, perhaps meant to represent all fauna, flanking either side of it.

This beautiful, tiny bird is common to the Northwest Coast of Canada and believed to represent not only beauty and love, but it also brings good luck and spiritual healing to anyone who comes into contact with it. Hummingbirds are associated with love, beauty, intelligence, and healing. Patrick often portrays the hummingbird surrounded by a flowering tree.

This beautiful, tiny bird is common to the Northwest Coast of Canada and believed to represent not only beauty and love, but it also brings good luck and spiritual healing to anyone who comes into contact with it. Hummingbirds are associated with love, beauty, intelligence, and healing. Patrick often portrays the hummingbird surrounded by a flowering tree.

This pictograph of shows a man holding a dip net. Dip netting was on fishing technique used by the St’át’imc to catch considerable quantities of salmon in the Fraser River. The net is dipped into the river narrows, where the currents are strong, from either an outcropping of land or a wooden platform. The large net, attached to a pole in the water, is lowered into the river. Then the mouth of the net is closed and the fish inside are trapped. The net is then, laboriously, hauled out of the river.

Typically Leach includes the representations of the salmon and the river alongside the fisherman to depict a full scene.